Posts Tagged ‘commercial design’
Scotch & Soda Spring / Summer 2013 Collection
April 10th, 2013 – Scotch & Soda have been cranking out classic staple pieces since the 80′s, fast forward twenty years, and the Amsterdam based fashion house is keeping the hits relevant. The spring / summer 2013 collection is military-inspired with a fresh twist, dominated by indigo toned items that are bleached down and over-dyed in colorful summer shades. Amongst the desaturated undertones of the garments are pops of minty green, whites, and neon colors to keep the pieces light – think casually stylish guy ventures to the equator, with no iron.
Cable knitted crew neck pull $180.00 – Denim colored chino shorts $120.00
Tiger print short-sleeved tee $75.00
Outdoor mountaineering jacket with hood $300.00 – Short-sleeved tie-dye tee with artwork $75.00 - All-over printed flower shorts $115.00
All-over printed linen shirt $140.00
Tiger print short-sleeved tee $75.00
Ethnic Rock chino shorts $140.00
Sailor sweater with 3/4 sleeves $107.00
Outdoor mountaineering jacket with hood $300.00
Photography Courtesy of Scotch & Soda
Fabio Novembre at The Triennale Design Museum
Fabio Novembre says “drawing a rainbow to connect Heaven and Earth in that constant state of human balance we maintain with our feet in the mud and head up in the stars.” Novembre’s quote is the defining concept for his new exhibition at Milan’s Triennale Design Museum. The “rainbow” is an artistic metaphor for an “intangible pathway ” from Heaven to Earth, which is represented in the colorful exhibition. Novembre explained that creating the exhibition “involved exhibiting something absolutely new compared to previous editions, a selection of carefully chosen items confirming the theory that there is only one Italian school of graphics,” continuing on to explain “even though it has no proper structure, hardly surprising since the same could be said about everything connected with our dear old unpredictable country.”
Novembre was asked to add a third dimension to graphics – which are almost always two dimensional. The third dimension came in the form of a built space: full of color and divided into nine sections consisting of books, letters, magazines, culture and politics, packaging, advertising, visual identity, video and signposting. The clever designer imagined the space as a blank book, then decided to introduce the color spectrum to the empty white pages. “using color as an authentic graphic hypertext to support material, which, nevertheless, require more complex codes in order to be fully interpreted.” There’s some food for thought for ya!
(Photography: Fabio Novembre)
Dandenong Government Office, Melbourne
Australian architecture firm Hassell, known for their brilliant off-beat design ideas in the workplace, has recently completed some cool new digs for Dandenong’s Government Services. The new office is part of a local redevelopment package led by Places Victoria and the Victorian State Government, a major urban renewal project. Hassell wanted to create a “high standard of urban design and quality workplace in this outer-suburban region, and to assist in the rebirth of the precinct as a major mixed-use activity center.”
To meet their goal, The talented team of architects dreamed up a 14,400 square meter office space, which spans up over eight floors. The building comes with staff large communal spaces, community incubator spaces, retail outlets, food and beverage shops, bicycle facilities, and an underground car park.
Our favorite feature is the communal landscaped roof terrace which is cantilevered towards the side of the building on the fourth and fifth floors. The rooftop, also known as the ‘loggia’, is constructed out of hard wood floors and timber batten screen, which allows for sunlight to filter through. The loggia is also connected to a large conference facility and a series of outdoor rooms.
In addition to the supremely stylish design, the project was awarded a 6 Star Green Star design rating from the GBCA, sustainability features include an underfloor air distribution system, rainwater and grey water retention and re-use, solar hot water and waterless urinals.
(Photography: Hassell)
Wax Revolution Salon, Mexico
In the upscale neighborhood of Polanco in Mexico City, Wax Revolution has unveiled their second location. With the goal of setting a new standard on what they regard as “artistry in hair removal,” they wanted to ensure that the design of their space would be as unique as their service. The site of the salon is in a semi basement of what used to be part of the parking of a refurbished building from the 50s. ROW Studio spearheaded the project, their “first challenge was to give notoriety to an otherwise invisible space.” The solution turned out to be a “faceted structure made from a sequence of black steel frames descending from the street to the salon in a similar fashion to a subway entrance thus making the site evident to the enormous traffic of people strolling and driving by.”
The lobby of the salon is outfitted with a bright blue wall and a high gloss multifaceted black desk. Once you make your way past the chalk board wall where the salon’s latest specials are detailed, you enter in the main salon area where “each cabin is assigned and identified by a color which can be located by following the corresponding lines on the epoxy resin floor. The lights are fixed to the wall as a continuous strip with 45° and 90° angles as a way to liberate height from the low ceiling of the space.” Shortly after, a small open blue cabin located at the end of the corridor is used as a brow bar with an adjustable barber’s chair. The design of Wax Revolution is a delightfully vibrant space, adding a fun and playful twist to what was a dusty old parking garage.
(Photography: Sofocles Hernandez Copyright ROW Studio)
Städel Museum Extension, Germany
Frankfurt’s Städel Museum, hosted a design competition back in 2008 in efforts to bring in a fresh architectural team to design a new wing for the museum. Fast forward to today, Schneider+Schumacher Architekten, the winners of the competition, have completed their vision. The 33,000 square foot addition was designed with the purpose of housing the museums contemporary art collection. Because of the modern intention of the space, the Frankfurt based firm wanted to create a contemporary structure to suit the art. Schneider + Schumacher constructed a super cool subterranean space with a grand central staircase and 195 circular skylights, which creates an awesome white patterned effect on the museum lawn.
The space was designed with the utmost flexibility for change within the museum. White is the dominant color of the interlocking galleries, which allows for exhibitions to transition easily. Interior partitions create a flexible route through the museum, and are conveniently adjustable depending on the needs of the current art show. The impressive rolling lawn is designed to create an exciting lighting effect at night time too, as the circular skylights glow from the light in the new structure below.
(Photography: Norbert Miguletz)
Palencia Civic Center, Spain
This just might be the coolest renovation we have seen in some time. Exit Architects have just transformed a 19th century prison into a super sleek civic center in Palencia, Spain.
The architecture & design team at EXIT has gained a quality reputation for creating stellar projects for health care institutions, cultural & educational centers, and museums; in a way where they introduce bold architectural elements into the interiors. In the Civic Center for Palencia, The impressive architectural addition to the old masonry building consists of zinc metal panels and U-glass, which is just a peek as to what has evolved on the inside.
The interiors, once dark, have been given light by the inclusion of several skylights which were added when parts of the old clay roof were removed. The octagon shaped great wall is the main public space, which has an inviting atrium with enclosed glass cylinders reaching from the floor to the ceiling, each are filled with rocks and a single tree.
The bold architectural is complemented with a clever mixture of natural and artificial lighting. Fluorescent tube lighting is used to create dynamic streaks in the atrium ceiling, massive skylights, and lines of lights make the walls sparkle in the theater. It must be the true marriage of thought evoking architecture, design, lighting, and function, that make this project quite a success!
(Photography: Fernando Guerra)
Facto Royale Salon, Portugal
The Facto Royale, a sleek white salon just opened up on the streets of Lisbon. The small space is decked out with 5,000 Swarovski crystals, 50 plaster hands, and a fantastic crystallized skull of a deer head and antlers. The shop is designed by architect Igor Ferreira who wanted to surprise salon goers by creating a space opposite of your traditional salon. The architect took second-hand Japanese style furniture and had the pieces professionally painted to be white, then mixed the pieces with low hanging white industrial lights and Corinthian columns. The entirety of the stark white design sits above high gloss white washed wood planked floors, which allows for a tiny bit of color to peep into the space.
The Research Agency Office, New Zealand
The Research Agency, proudly being one of New Zealand’s leading and fastest growing boutique agencies, wanted to outfit their new workspace with a design that represented their business brand. The research gurus called upon award winning architect Jose Gutierrez to give them the powerful and energetic aesthetic they desired. “The empty run down shell of an existing heritage building was transformed into a bold sleek office,” Gutierrez explained. The architect re-vamped the old space by adding a contrasting palette of black and white to the office. The walls, pillars, ceilings, and curtains all became white, while accents of black were introduced with elements such as large metal letters spelling out the name of the firm and black carpeting.
The layout of the office is fairly open, creating a contemporary work environment, a place where natural light can be transmitted far into the space from the windows. Beyond the open layout, Gutierrez created some private areas such as the 16 person conference room which is surrounded by floor to ceiling white curtains, and has a high gloss black ceiling, with cool framed photographs. The design of The Research Agency’s cool new office definitely top’s our list of places we wouldn’t mind working!
(Photography: Jose Gutierrez)
Zozobra Noodle Bar, Israel
BK Architects has built a slick new noodle bar on the streets of Kfar-Sabba in Israel. The idea behind the intricate design of Zozobra was to make the space open and social. The exposed kitchen became a dominant design feature, as a massive white geometrically faceted shell covers the top. Visitors gain the experience of having a peek of whats going on behind house, while they dine in a social atmosphere on long “family” style tables.
White glossy Cylindrical lights stream down from the ceiling creating an effect that almost appears to be rain falling from the sky, while massive projectors shoot motion graphics onto the walls of the restaurant. The dramatic lighting effects mixed with the reflective materials are a stellar recipe for and exciting space!
(Photography: BK Architects)
Permy Salon, Korea
A cheerful and quirky new hair salon is now gracing the streets of South Korea. The Permy Salon, designed by local firm M4 uses sky blue accents, translucent upside down trash cans over the ceiling lights, and cartoon graphics to make this friendly establishment the next go-to hair salon. The tiny 36 square meter shop has a simple layout; the main salon is in the front of the store, while three small private treatment rooms retreat to the back.
Leading designers, Young-sub Yun and Kwang-hyun Han of M4, created a translucent facade which incorporates a glass door in order to attract people from the street and showcase their fresh design. With only two main colors, sky blue and white, the shop is able to remain exciting in its own simplicity because of the added design features such as the trash can light ceiling and the cartoonish graphics on the exterior and interior.
(Photography by Lee Pyo-joon)
Jung Von Matt Headquarters, Germany
The advertising creatives at Jung Von Matt call Hamburg their home, as they have held their headquarters in a historic 19th century factory building for quite some time now. Only recently, did the marketing gurus call upon the architects at Stephan Williams Associates to extend their workspace with the occupation of two new floors.
These two new floors have quickly been dubbed the “elephant house”, because they are the new home to Jung Von Matt’s heavyweight executive team. The architects at Stephan Williams wanted to create a space with dominant design features to suite the agency’s occupants. Strong and dark materials like wood and hunter green walls were implemented into the space which includes open offices, private offices, small conversational areas, and one gigantic conference table which has a seat for each director.
Jung Von Matt’s logo is a angular version of a Trojan horse. This logo is proudly represented throughout the office and wildly introduced in the cafe seating area on the fourth floor. Stephan Williams designed the seating units to resemble the logo, “It is an entirely wood-clad, comfortable space for informal conversations over a tea or coffee, which so often create the spark for big idea”, the architects explained. Stephan Williams wanted to create a “timeless design that reflects the agency’s character and idiosyncrasies in every detail.” Which was accomplished in more than one way!
PKO Bank Polski Is Not Your Ordinary Bank
The PKO Bank Polski, by Robert Majkut Design, is a far cry from your ordinary bank! We normally wouldn’t describe a bank as warm, sexy, and sensual, but the design of the PKO Bank makes saving and investing feel glamorous – ‘tell me more about your IRA options Mr. Bank Teller.’ That is exactly the environment that Polish architect and designer Robert Majkut wanted to create. Majkut took inspiration for the interior design from the already existing company graphics which consisted of black, white, and gold. The colors manifested within the wall materials, furniture, and lighting, to create a dramatic ambiance within the space. One of the most interesting features of the bank comes is the dynamic wall behind the receptionists desk. Majkut explains that “a bi-dimensional pattern was completely transformed by introducing an additional dimension: it was made spatial by being projected on the tri-dimensional model of the interior.” The architect went on, “to achieve this effect special software for parametric design was used, which allowed for the creation of a complex and ordered structure formed as a transformation of the subtle grid of lines converging in one abstract point.” The grid form of the wall came straight from the logo of the bank, then transformed into an exciting design feature within the space. Next came the lounge, a conference room, individual offices, and a small meeting area, all of which are designed to be luxurious, sophisticated, and comfortable!
(Photography: Szymon Polanski)
Studio 1:1 Designs Splashes Color Into A New ICT Center
Netherlands based design firm Studio 1:1 just added a super cool new project to their portfolio. The team of architects and designers came together to create the ICT Experience Center De Verdieping, “An area where teachers, rectors and managers from the educational sector can get inspired by the latest development in the ICT sector,” Studio 1:1 Explained.
This whole project came to birth at the hands of Studio 1:1′s clients, Stichting Kennisnet, which is a local educational institution in ICT. “Kennisnet offers, as public ict-support organization, every educational institution in the primary- secondary- and vocational education, independent expertise and free services with efficient use of ICT (Information and communications technology).”
Kennisnet headquarters is on a series of floors in an industrial building in Netherlands, up until now, their third floor has been empty. Studio 1:1 came into the picture because the educators needed a place to experiment with their theories.
The architects explained that “their aim was to create one location, in their head office, where the ‘ambassadors ‘ from different educational levels could come.”
The design program called for a place where at least 30 people can educate in learn in the space at one time, at least 5 flexible work spaces which would fit 6 people max, and space for storage of extra chairs and tables. The designers wanted to create a colorful and dynamic space while fitting all of Kennisnet’s functional needs to facilitate experiments.
Three super cool walls were created using innovative materials, interesting acoustic such as panel of second-hand keyboard keys, and fluorescent LED lighting were placed parallel to the print-lines on the floor as walking routes throughout the level, and straight couches from soft foam and an enlarged blue internet-plug out of Styrofoam were all used to create the innovative space!
(Photography: Studio 1:1)
A School House With No Walls
A school house with no interior walls?!?! Yep, you read it right! The Swedish Free School Organization Vittra operates by the philosophy that there are no classes or classrooms – instead, the students are taught in groups according to level based on the school’s pedagogical principles of ’the wateringhole’, ’the show-off’, ’the cave’, ’the campfire’ and ’the laboratory’ – didactic approaches that create different types of learning and teaching situations. This created an interesting program for the architects at Rosan Bosch Ltd., who had to create a school house for an establishment who do not believe in regular classes, but instead a place where individual development is based on living cultural work and challenging learning environments.
The architects brainstormed through the schematic design phase to reveal a creative solution – Instead of classical divisions with chairs and tables, a giant iceberg for example serves as cinema, platform and room for relaxation, and sets the frame for many different types of learning. Moreover, flexible laboratories make it possible to work hands-on with themes and projects. In essence, the architects created “a school where the physical space is the school’s most important tool in their everyday and pedagogical development.”
(Photographer: Kim Wendt and Rosan Bosch)
Hangzhou Broadway Cinemas
Designed by Alex Choi and inspired by rolls of vintage movie film from a bygone era, the Hangzhou Broadway Cinemas has an oddly futuristic aesthetic. The curvelinear lines of the ceiling undulate like ribbons, creating a flow that directs traffic into the cinema. Moviegoers who pause for a brief moment from inhaling buttery popcorn will notice an oculus in the ceiling framed with circles that look like the rings emanating from a pebble dropped in a pond. The lobby has a familiar space station feel – stark and white, while the interior of the screening rooms have a dark vibe with shots of bright orange and pink. With an interior that beautiful it’s almost a shame they have to dim the lights!
Turkish Airlines CIP lounge
You can count on most airport terminals to be outfitted in heinous, boldly geometric carpet, dusty plastic plants and the most uncomfortably, un-ergonomic plastic chairs known to man. Not the Turkish Airlines CIP lounge. Designed by Autoban and Situated in Istanbul’s Ataturk Airport the lounge has a capacity of 2000. The concept was cemented in the idea of creating a smaller shell within the larger shell of the airport. Most notable, however, are the beautifully striking curves of the architecture that separate the distinct areas that make up the lounge. Resting rooms, restaurant, tea garden, library and a movie theater are incased in separate spherical pods just waiting to be discovered!
(Photography: Bulent Ozgoren)
Toyo Ito’s Museum of Architecture
On the Island of Omishima, Japanese architect Toyo Ito has completed the Toyo Ito Architecture Museum, the first museum in Japan dedicated to the work of an individual architect! The angular structure is sculpted to mimic the deck of a ship as it sits on a seaside ledge overlooking Seto Inland Sea, providing scenic views and cool breezes for the museum patrons. The faceted faces of the monolithic steel structure tilt at various different angles and “establishes a strong and modern identity on the lush site.” The exterior architecture directly translates to the interior design, which is wrapped in birch wood and is left minimalistic in decor.
Toyo Ito is taking it upon himself to re-write the rules of museums! What do you think about the architect designing a museum, dedicated to himself? Join the conversation
(Photography: Daici Ano & Ken Lee)
The Radial Office By Sako
Ever wondered what it would be like to live betwixt the pages a Pantone color book? Well now you can get a glimpse. Sako Architect’s new Radial office in Beijing has left no PMS color ignored. Slick, lacquered white surfaces meet bright pops of crimson, fuchsia and lime green in a striking contrasting stripes throughout the office space. Biomorphic, curvilinear seating undulates in waves, cascading down steps in a cornucopia of hues. Illuminated rings of light dangle playfully from the ceiling like fishing lures in an incandescent rainbow underworld. We’re hooked.
(Photography Credits: Sako Architects)
Lexington Avenue Agency Office
When Ana Hernández Palacios of studio Masque Spacio examined photographs of New York City, she saw colors, lights, and larger than life skyscrapers. These images became her inspiration for the Lexington Avenue Agency office in Valencia, Spain. The industrial space is minimalistic yet powerful! Yellow and Black Stripes streamline the walls and ceilings representing the taxi cabs and the height of buildings. A clear plastic curtain with the company’s logo on it gently divides the space into two, in order to keep the flow of natural light into the reception area. Masque took a small space and made it very interesting!
(Photography Credits: Araski Kuro & David De Cualiti)
Electric Dreams Takes On A Fabric Giant!
Together, Catharina Frankander and Joel Degermark are the dynamic design duo behind Swedish based firm Electric Dreams. The team could not have picked a more perfect name for their firm. In essence, Electric Dreams describes the youthful and playful elements incorporated into their exaggerated designs. Frankander and Degermark tell a different story in every project, each as gripping as the last.
Their most recent project is titled ‘Fabricville,’ the headquarter offices for Fabric Retail Glbl in Gothenburg, Sweden. Electric Dreams approached the design with the idea that a busy company headquarters is much like a little working village. The ‘little village’ concept is the result of what you see in the design. Long corridors resemble streets lined with gingerbread-esque offices with windows and doors, and connote the feeling of walking down the small roads of a quaint town.
We caught up with lead designer Catharina Frankander for some Q & A where explained a little more about how the design of Fabricville was executed:
Knstrct: What was your inspiration for this design?
CF: The inspiration behind this design was the idea that a busy company headquarters is very much like a little village – it gathers many types of occupations, each with different spatial requirements, and many different sorts of activities are going on at different times. Open public as well as private enclosed spaces are needed, work places as well as recreational spaces. The aesthetic is very much inspired by traditional Swedish wooden cottages.
Knstrct: Did you face any design challenges?
CF: The office was originally divided up in several offices with different tenants, then it was all clashed together to form the 3-floor, 1500 sqm
Fabricville office. The space bore traces of several different, conflicting renovating schemes…some from the 80s, some from late 90s…The space
had endless dull corridors with a mishmash of window and door types, and lots of different ceiling heights. The space was difficult to navigate since everything looked pretty much the same anywhere where you went.
Knstrct: What was your design goal?
CF: The Fabricville concept came about as a way to turn all the space’s shortcomings into an advantage. The three-floor office was to house 150 employees for Fabric Retail, Weekday and Monki: an interesting mix of fashion designers, buyers, construction managers, and PR people. Our wish was to bring it all together in one visual identity, to house a family of fashion brands, each with its own different personality.
In the Fabricville office, the long narrow corridors became a busy village street, with workshop buildings for the clothes designers, office
buildings for the marketing people, and brightly coloured cottages for conference rooms. The main street is lined with laser cut MDF hedges on each side. The canteen is the green park in the middle. Each floor has a different color scheme to match the identity of the brand that is sitting there. This project was done in collaboration with our brilliant colleagues from Fabric Retail, Sarah Otley and Rong Guan.
(Photographs Provided By Electric Dreams)
KIZUKI AND LIM BEAUTY SALON IN SINGAPORE
February 16th 2011 – Tucked into a historical building in central Singapore is a super unique beauty salon called Kizuki and Lim. The salon is the design of Teruhiro Yanagihara, a Tokyo based design firm known for revamping spaces in a totally unconventional way. Teruhiro Yanagihara needed to create this space with the intention to be multifunctional as a salon, and as an art gallery for local artists. Their solution was to create a huge 3 dimensional, angular partition which separates the two different activity areas. Two huge round highlighter painted tunnels join the two spaces and assist in creating a very cool experience within the space.
(Photographs Courtesy of Teruhiro Yanagihara)
Heliport VIP Lounge by Mission & Associates Limited
Congratulations to Mission & Associates Limited for being awarded the first annual Global Excellence Award given by IIDA! The team at Mission & Associates Limited enhanced the life of the Heliport VIP Lounge by allowing the zig zagging interiors to be cohesive with the existing angular building which houses it. Located in Central Hong Kong, the heliport is home to private and exclusive traveling means between Hong Kong and Macau. When the client decided to expand the heliport and add this VIP Lounge they wanted a design that reflected their progressive philosophy.
Mission & Associates Limited came in and approached the challenges of the building the interiors in an aggressive way by succumbing to the existing angels and creating geometric and manageable layout that would fit into the existing constraints. The ceilings are lower than usual commercial spaces, by adding the over proportioned shapes and streams of light above the designers are not only creating visual intensity but also creating way finding within the terminal lounge.
STUDIOMK27′S BRINGS LIFE TO STUDIO SC
We are head over heels for the designs coming out of StudioMK27, the latest being Studio SC, tucked right in the heart of São Paolo. A staple trademark of Marcio Kogan’s designs (principal designer at MK27) are elongated rectilinear openings which we also experience here with the Studio SC project. The use of wood, metal, stone, and concrete come into play and complemented with pops of color from the unique furniture pieces.
In true MK27 form, the space has a large opening into a natural environment, letting sunlight reach in and vegetation act as a focal point. In the warm months employees can bring out a little table and enjoy work outside but still within their space.
(Photographs provided by MK27)
TEBFIN’S JOHANNESBURG OFFICE
Tebfin’s new office in Johannesburg is built by Source Interior Brand Architects and is situated on top of one of Johannesburg’s new hotels. In reference to the hotel below, Tebfin wanted an office with a boutique hotel lobby feel and desired a space which was warm with a luxurious feel. The design team brought in warm woods, warm stones, low lighting, and die-cut screens to create shadows and silhouettes. Source understands the importance of workplace design, they are a team that has studied people and design of the working environment and have implemented their expertise into numerous projects.
